A man’s worth is no greater than the worth of his ambitions. Marcus Aurelius
It’s hard for a man to know what to do with his ambition these days
Ambition and Spirituality
One way to simplify your spirituality is to clarify your ambition Donald Whitney, Simplify Your Spiritual Life: Spiritual Disciplines for the Overwhelmed
You don’t want to be paralyzed by fear and let your potential rot in the soil of amusements
oof, that goes hard
Ambition is at the core of our spiritual lives.
Worldly ambition
Two marks: Domination and attention. Be the best or be recognized.
Luke 22 shows how the disciples’ wordly ambition easily overcame the sight of the messiah.
But among all the passions which mislead, endanger, and harass the mind, none is more hostile to its peace, none more blind, none more delirious that the love of distintion. Timothy Dwight, “Sermon XXVII: On the Love of Distinction”
Resisting Ambition
Lack of ambition ≠ humility. It’s lack of courage or even laziness.
God wants to fill you with a soul-stirring kind of holy ambition.
Nehemiah, Kingdom Vision, and Holy Ambition
Nehemiah had a heart for the Israelites; he allowed his heart to be affect by their suffering. This gave him ambition, unlocking his potential to do God’s work in Jerusalem..
Nehemiah lifted his eyes beyond his kingdom to God’s kingdom. His vision moved from personal concern to God’s concern.
Learning to ask Kingdom Questions
The first three requests in the Lord’s prayer focus on matters that concern God
Ungodly ambition destroys community, commodifies love, and turns brothers into opponents. As we saw in Nehemiah’s story, you can measure a man’s vision by the questions he asks.
Allow God to expand your circle of concern, and you wull never know where heaven will break in.
There is power in allowing myself to be moved by things outside my concern. There is power in asking God big-picture kingdom questions. This is how you can see God’s vision and have God-centered ambition.
The Crystallization of Discontent
Nehemiah was burdened for four months before he made his move to go to Jerusalem — his discontent was crystallized.
Regarding the crystallization of discontent:
It’s the settling of the heart before the shaking of a life.
The enemy will try to get me to doubt, distract, or dismiss my discontent.
Feeding your Frustration
GET ANGRY!!!!
If you want to convert your worldly ambition to holy ambition, you are going to have to feed your frustration.
You need to bring your anguish to God and ask him what to do.
Radical Sacrificial Action
Praying puts us at risk of getting involved with God’s conditions. Eugene Peterson, Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity
#Nehemiah
Must task massive action to be effective!!!!
Massive Action in Prayer
Take responsibility for things that are not my fault — Nehemiah knew there was no authority without responsibility, so he prayed and repented on behalf of Israel.
This mindset of radical ownership is countercultural.
Massive Action in the World
Nehemiah was disruptive in many of his actions, from his beginning requests with King Artazerxes to facilitating national revival in Israel.
Jesus: Holy Ambition embodied
Jesus has kingdom vision, took ownership of our sins and paid the price — something he did not have to do, but did in accordance to God’s will.
May you see decades unfold in mere days, for the God of heaven is on your side.
Takeaways
Ambition is central to our spiritual walk and who we are — it shouldn’t be ignored or left without thought in the wrong direction. As Christians, we are called to seek God’s vision daily and in the long run. Let us ask God for big kingdom vision, big faith, that we may be filled with ambition aligned with God’s will and his work!